Scattering of guided waves by circumferential cracks in composite cylinders

A somewhat generalized numerical procedure is used in this paper to study the problem of wave scattering by circumferential cracks in composite pipes. The study is motivated by the need to develop a model for the quantitative, ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of cracks in pipes. For this purpose, a stiffness-based Rayleigh–Ritz type approach is employed first to obtain the approximate wave numbers and wave modes. Using the wave function expansions of the incident and scattered fields in the axial direction and decomposing the problem into separate symmetric and anti-symmetric problems, a three-dimensional wave scattering problem is reduced to two, independent two-dimensional problems over the circular cross-section. Both these problems can be reduced further to quasi-one-dimensions by discretizing the cross-section into finite elements and using a transfer matrix approach in the circumferential direction. This simplification greatly reduces the computational time. A comparison of the results for an isotropic pipe demonstrates the reliability and accuracy of the modified numerical procedure. Numerical results for the reflection and transmission coefficients of different incident wave modes are also presented for a 2-ply composite pipe with a crack. The crack may have an arbitrary circumferential length and radial depth. Simple extrapolations from one wave to another wave, separately incident on a crack, are demonstrated to be impossible due to different mode conversions by the crack.